The Beginning of the Journey...

I've been a lurker on many weight-loss blogs, and a half-hearted participant in the local Weight Watchers branch. But the time has come to quit messing around, and get ahold of this beast!

It's been a slow but steady path- a pound here, a pound there. Getting one size bigger jeans just because 'they feel better'. Then realizing that you have no clothes that you're not popping out of. What happened to me?? The dryer is not completely to blame. Dammit. Some days I think Weight Watchers is to blame, because every time I quit going, I gain 10lbs!

This is something that is me- I've seen all the excuses, and they are exactly that- excuses. Big bones? Sure wish I had 125lb bones! Bad genes? Both my Gram's were tiny and never overweight. Mental issues? Well, never mind about that! We can blame it on our fatso culture that screams for its McDonald's and its HUGE restaurant portions yet deifies the stick-like waif models and actresses. But they're still just excuses.

New Year's always brings about resolutions, but sometimes its just something that truly inspires (horrifies??) you into action. Mine is a picture of my Mom and sisters on Christmas Day. You can see the pudge in my fingers! Not ok anymore, I'm no longer going to let this be.

Sometimes I see overweight people in daily life and think, "If they really wanted to lose weight, they would." That is something that is not politically correct- what if they have a thyroid problem?? Yeah right. (Note: I've read about 3% of the population is hypothyroid, which leaves the rest of us chunkies without an excuse.) But I'm actually thinking that it might be down to how badly I want to not be this way.

There is an expression, 'Nothing tastes as good as thin' which bears some thought. What tastes as good as thin? Well actually there is this bakery just a few blocks away, with cinnamon rolls the size of your head, and they have this awesome..... Ahem. What I meant was, there are some things that I think could give thin a run for its money in the taste department! But its taking the step. One step.

Willpower is defined as the ability to exert one's will over one's actions. Its also described as manifesting as inner firmness, decisiveness, determination, resolution and persistence. I think about myself in a non-food sense, and there are times in life where I am just that. Firm. Decisive. Determined. Resolute. Persistant! I can be this way towards my weight.

Thus begins my journey. I'm calling it my lifelong journey because I know its not a temporary thing- cut out the cookies for awhile and get skinny, then eat cookies again. Nope. Oprah even made that mistake- she recently started talking about her weight again, and how she thought she had this all figured out four years ago- but now she's back to 200lbs! She is learning, just as I am, that this has to be a lifestyle change for my life to be what I want.

This blog is to be my outlet- a place to think about what I'm doing in my life, to reflect, and to share. And maybe- just maybe- to encourage others that are in the same journey that I am. Its not an easy one, but we all know a long trip goes by faster in the company of other's. Its time for my journey to begin.